Budget 2024 ‘a big let down’ for education, as stakeholders line up to slate it

By EducationHQ News Team
Published May 31, 2024

The Coalition Government has handed down its 2024 budget, with spending on schools and early childhood education increasing by nearly $1 billion in the next financial year to $19.1 billion.

New Zealand Finance Minister Nicola Willis has delivered the Coalition Government’s first budget - with many in education calling it ‘disappointing’ to say the least. PHOTO: AAP

From 2025 however, education spending will drop back below $19b.

Education sector spending will include:

$1.48 billion to build new schools and classrooms and to maintain and upgrade existing ones;
$153 million for school IT infrastructure and services including email protection and cyber security;
$153 million in new funding over four years for up to 50 charter schools;
$478 million to continue free school lunches until the end of 2026;
$53 million over four years to help boost teacher numbers by 1500;
$67 million for structured literacy training and resources; and
$723 million for ECE rebates

Cuts have been made to the Ministry of Education, saving more than $367 million over four years, and $5 million will be cut from funding for non-essential Ministry of Education staff travel.

The Budget also cut almost $2.5 million a year from the Education Review Office and $2.3m a year from Education New Zealand.

President of PPTA Te Wehengarua, Chris Abercrombie, says the Budget is disappointing and prioritises property over people.

“For a Government that claims that one of its top priorities is education, today’s Budget is a big let down – particularly in the face of significant roll increases due to increases in immigration,” he said in a statement.

“The highlight of the education announcements is property, which is necessary, but it is people that are the most important investment in education.”

Abercrombie said the Government has failed to deliver on promises on better resourcing, pointing out that increases to school operations grants are below inflation, leaving them worse off in real terms.

“There is nothing significant for improving school attendance when we have significant work to do to re-engage students who have not attended school regularly as a result of COVID,” he added.

Abercrombie also said the Government has failed to support teachers to meet their obligations under Te Tiriti.

“Teachers need PLD to ensure they can be culturally responsive in their teaching and develop the use of te reo and tikanga Māori. Schools can’t do this on their own…” he said.

NZEI Te Riu Roa said that Budget 2024 is effectively a cut in frontline funding for schools, with no new initiatives for children needing learning support and a funding cut for teacher aides.

NZEI Te Riu Roa national executive member and teacher Liam Rutherford said it’s children in classrooms needing additional learning support that will miss out.

“Principals will not be able to provide additional teacher aides to their staffing, or any other support staff,” he said in a statement.

“Our teachers, principals and whānau have been crying out for dedicated support for ākonga for a long time.

Rutherford said teacher aides and learning support specialists are a proven way to support students to learn and teachers to teach in one hit.

“We have a learning support system that is severely under resourced; once again, children are missing out,” he said.

Unions were united in their disdain for the Government’s allocation of many millions for charter schools.

“Funnelling $153 million into an unproven experiment at a time when the Government cannot even keep local schools’ operation grants up with inflation is irresponsible – and immoral,” Abercrombie said.

"Every year we’re being asked to run schools off the smell of an oily rag,” Rutherford said.

“Meanwhile, the Government’s ineffective charter school scheme has diverted $153 million, which as we’ve said, would pay for a further 700 full time teacher aides making a huge difference in the classroom for ākonga and their teachers.”

Aotearoa Educators Collective (AEC) have also labelled the move “tragic”.

AEC spokesperson Sarah Aiono said instead of allocating $153 million to charter schools, those funds could be more effectively invested in providing comprehensive support for the nation’s most at-risk students.

“Moreover, the recent Budget announcement neglects the growing population of neurodivergent students and those who have experienced trauma,” Aiono said.

“By failing to address the needs of these vulnerable groups, the Government demonstrates a significant disconnect from the daily realities faced by New Zealand teachers.

“Support needs to go well beyond the current approach of PLD on literacy and numeracy.”

NZEI Te Riu Roa member leader and early childhood education teacher Zane McCarthy said she’s disappointed early childhood services continue to be undervalued.

“The last three Budgets offered significant additional investment in the sector with the introduction of pay parity for teachers and 20 hours ECE for two-year-olds,” she said in a statement.

“But this year’s budget is a backwards budget for early childhood education.

“This Government has cut the 20 hours free for two-year-olds promised in last year’s budget and instead replaced it with Family Boost, a subsidy of less value, which will likely not reach whānau most in need due to the administrative burdens on parents and caregivers applying for it.”